Addictions
by 54Viruses
Summary: When little quirks and hobbies turn into addictions it is time for intervention.
1. Hi, my name is Mikey

I do not own the TMNT.

Disclaimer; I have not studied the following addiction and am only mildly acquainted with its symptoms through my brother.

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Chapter one; Hi, my name is Mikey.

* * *

It was late, any later and it would be early morning. For some reason Kit couldn't sleep. Eventually she gave it up as a lost cause and got up, hoping some tea would help calm her nerves.

Not in the mood to jump down Kit took the fire-escape stairs to the lower level. She noted that the lights were flickering in the monitoring area and went to tell Mikey to turn in.

Just as she suspected Michelangelo was sitting on the couch clicking madly at the buttons of his video game. "Mike? Hey Mikey?" No response. "Mikey!" Still no response. Kit stepped a little closer and glanced at the screen. "Mikey I know you can pause this game." Still no response.

Looking closer at the turtle Kit saw that his eyes were wide open, and that the pupils were more dilated than they should be. The whites were streaked with swollen red vessels and the entire eyeball looked less…less shiny than it should, almost as though it had severely dried out. "Mikey?" The screen changed stages and gave off more light. Kit was shocked that she could actually see the pulse racing in Mikey's throat. The last time she had seen anyone like this they had been sitting in an alley enjoying their latest fix.

"HEY! Mikey! Time to join the real world!" Kit waved a hand in front of Mikey's face, wishing she knew how to snap her fingers.

"I can't." Mikey mumbled, still playing his game.

"Why not?"

"'m s,ck." He mumbled.

"You're what?"

Mikey paused the game and looked up at her. He looked scared. "I'm stuck. The controls won't let go!" Kit frowned and reached down to take the control from him. The control didn't budge. She braced herself and pulled harder.

"Mikey if this is some kind of joke you can stop now!" She gave one last pull and with a faintcrunch the remote finally pulled loose.

"I'm free!" Mikey exclaimed, jumping to his feet and pumping his hands in the air.

A wave of unwashed gamer smell rolled over Kit. She gagged and stepped back. "You! Shower! Now!" She ordered, pointing towards the bathroom with one hand while still holding the remote in the other hand.

"Of course! Anything for my hero! My savior! Thank you!" Mikey pulled Kit into a big turtle hug. Kit gagged, trying not to breath in the stench that the turtle's bodygave off in noxious waves. Finally he let her go and ran skipping off to the bathroom, leaving Kit coughing and retching in the monitoring area with her hands supporting her weight on her knees.

"That…" She finally gasped, "...was beyond… gross!" Finally she managed to stand up straight. She saved and logged out of Mikey's file. Before turning off the screen she used the light to get a closer look at the remote to try and figure out what had sealed Mikey to the remote. At first she couldn't see anything but then she started to make out some kind of white build-up on the tan-ish-white control.

"Ew…that's not…" Kit stepped closer to the screen for better lighting. "It IS!" She dropped the control and jumped back, rubbing her hands furiously on her pants. "Grossgrossgrossgrossgrossgrossgrossgrossgrossgrossgross!" She grimaced and cringed for a full minute before finally regaining her composure. After several deep breaths she calmly told herself;"Calm down, there's no reason to ditz out just because Mikey's control is covered in _sweat salt_ grossgrossgrossgrossgrossgrossgross!" She started rubbing her hands on her pants and cringing again.

With one last shudder Kit wiped her hands on her pants again and went to the kitchen to wash them in the sink.

Had she known what was in the kitchenKit would have gone straight to bed.

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This is going to be fun. This is supposed to be a story to help keep all of ya'll occupied until I can figure out the next chapter of Ninja's Revenge. I hope you'll enjoy!


	2. Hi, my name is Donnie

I do not own the TMNT

Disclaimer; I am not an expert on this particular addiction.

* * *

Chapter 2; Hi, my name is Donnie

* * *

Kit nearly ran into him before she saw Donnie in the darkness.

"Don!" Kit gasped, stumbling back before she hit him.

The turtle jumped, his rear end actually lifting several inches off the stood he sat on before gravity reasserted itself and he landed back on the stool. He grunted and stood up, rubbing his sore tale. "Ow! Kit what are you doing up?"

"Couldn't sleep. But what are you doing up? And in a dark kitchen might I add?"

"N-n-nothing!" Donnie lied.

Kit squinted until her eyes adjusted to the dark. She made out the faint outline of Donnie's coffee mug in the dark. "Donnie, what are you doing drinking coffee after three in the morning? You'll never get any sleep."

"It's de-caf!" Donnie said. "Just one last mug before I turn in for the night!" The light on the coffee maker lit up signaling that another pot was done percolating. "Uh, would you believe that's for the morning?"

"No. Donnie What are you thinking?" She turned and reached for the light switch.

"Wait!" Donnie called before she flicked the lights on. "ARGH!" He covered his eyes to protect them from the bright light.

"Donatello!" Kit gasped. The counter was littered with coffee spills and there were starbucks and empty soda bottles everywhere as well as containers from what looked like caffeine shots scattered in and on top of the spills. "Don I, that is… ARE YOU INSANE?!" She grabbed one of the bottles and shook it at him. "Donnie, don't you realize that people have had heart attacks from drinking too much of this stuff?! What were you thinking?!"

"That's a myth, only patients with previous heart conditions have been reported to-"

"DONNIE! I know the boring health junk behind caffeine as much as you do! Caffeine in this…" She glanced around the kitchen, "Excess is not healthy! How long have you been splurging like this?"

"Um." Don's fingers were rapidly tapping the sides of his legs, one of the legs was bouncing slightly as he tapped his foot at lightning speed. "Every other week for about… I don't know, a year?" The more Kit watched him the more sure she was that Donatello was literally vibrating. 

"Although The last time I did this was three nights ago so I guess that means I'm developing a tolerance…"

Kit just shook her head as he continued to mumble to himself. She glanced at the mess on the counter and the coffee machine that was pouring hot black liquid into the pot. Finally her gaze rested on the staff leaning up against the counter. "Can I borrow that?" Kit asked, pointing to the bo.

"Sure, no problem." Donnie nodded just a little too fast to be normal.

"Thanks." She lifted the staff and felt its weight in her hands. It felt awkward because she hadn't trained with any weapons yet, but she didn't need training to do what she was about to do. "Donnie, I'm sorry, but I feel that this is necessary."

"But you feel that what is necessary?" Donatello parroted. He was now hopping from foot to foot, failing to contain the caffeine coursing through his blood.

"This." Kit lifted the staff horizontally to the floor so that it stood just above the height of the counter. She swung the staff hard, knocking bottles, wrappers, plastic tubes and the coffee maker off the counter. Donnie jumped back reflexively to avoid getting hit as the debris showered to the floor. He let out a horrified wail as he watched as the plastic pot shattered on the floor and the casing on the machine broke partially loose from the rest of the machine. "Hut! Hya!" The staff crashed into the coffee maker again and again, slowly turning the machine into so many pieces of trash.

Donnie fell to his knees and lifted a piece of the coffee maker in each hand, his eyes were wide and his face had paled until the green was hardly visible. "Look what you've done!" He sobbed.

"Sorry Don. I just did what I thought was necessary." Kit replied, carefully laying the staff up against the counter again.

"I, I'll fix you don't worry!" Donnie whispered to the shattered components of his best friend.

Kit shook her head and went to get a broom and dustpan.

* * *

Poor Donnie. Poor stinky Mikey. 

Poor KIT! Imagine living with the constant smells of unwashed gamer, coffee addict and ninja sweat! EW!

Please leave the poor authoress a review.


	3. Name's Rapheal Sup'

I do not own the TMNT

Disclaimer; I am not an expert on this particular addiction.

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Chapter three; Name's Rapheal. Sup'

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Kit grumbled to herself as the stone elevator doors slid shut. "How hard can it be to find a stupid broom and dustpan? Then again, five bachelors in the same living space…" Kit conceded. "They really need a woman around."

The doors opened again. Kit stepped out but jumped back when she heard a bear growling.

After a couple minutes it finally occurred to Kit that the growling was too rhythmic to be a bear, unless it was sleeping, and the chances of a bear loose in New York City were extremely unlikely. Slowly Kit left the elevator and slipped over to the battle shell. She peaked around the edge of the vehicle and let loose with a sigh of relief.

No bears, just a hot-headed turtle. A hot-headed turtle wrapped around his motorcycle. Raphael had fallen asleep clutching his bike like Mikey clutched his teddy bear. Raph wasn't going to be too happy when he woke up and found out that he had drooled on the tire.

Quietly Kit slid out from her cover and stealthily moved to the corner where a heavy-duty broom was kept. As she slipped past Raph he gave aloud snort. Kit froze. If Raph woke up and found out that she had seen him: dead Kit.

"Mnom…vroom…yeah baby…heh, heh, heh faster." Raph mumbled. He smiled contentedly in his sleep and curled closer to the bike.

Once Kit was sure he had settled down she hurried over to the corner and grabbed the broom. On her return trip temptation suddenly struck. She resisted with all her might but was overcome and gave in. Stepping closer to Raph Kit carefully lifted the tails of his mask, then gently tied them around part of the bike.

Leaning just a tad closer Kit whispered, "Vroom."

"Heh-heh-he-yeah….hmmm, faster." Raph hummed. Kit snickered and went back to the elevator.

As the doors closed behind her Kit smiled and shook her head. "Cute. He'd kill me if he heard me say it, but cute, very cute." She nodded to herself, and then frowned. Come to think of it she hadn't heard his snoring in the lair for almost a month and considering her hearing it was probably a good guess that he had been here every night. "And disturbing, very disturbing."

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Please Review! I love hearing from all you peoples!


	4. Hi, my name is Leonardo

Addiction4

I do not own the TMNT

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Chapter four; Hi, my name is Leonardo

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Kit returned to the kitchen to find Donnie still sadly gathering the shattered remains of his true love.

"Donnie, its dead. I'll be happy to help you go to the junkyard and find parts for repairs tomorrow night," the purple banded turtle stiffened at the idea of spending the day without his precious coffee, "But right now I think you should go to bed. Turtles aren't nocturnal you know."

Donnie nodded vaguely. He was coming off his caffeine high faster than expected. The crash had to be wicked considering how jived up he had been. "Come on Donnie, time for beddy-by." Kit leaned the broom against the wall and moved to help Donnie to his feet.

"Gone." He mourned, "It's gone."

"I know Donnie, I know…" Kit soothed as she helped him out of the kitchen. "Come on, it's time for bed…come on." She carefully led the depressed turtle over to his room, then helped him up the ladder to his bed, trying hard not to wake Leo. "There you go Donnie, go to sleep." She whispered. Donnie hummed something unintelligible and hugged his pillow closer to him as Kit pulled the covers up over his shell. "Goodnight Donnie." More unintelligible humming.

Kit jumped down from the top bunk and landed silently on the floor. She glanced over at Leo to see if he was still asleep and was surprised to find he wasn't on his bed. A quick look around the room proved that he wasn't sequestered away in some corner trying to sneak up on her, although the piles of junk Donnie and Leo kept in here did seem less haphazard somehow.

When Kit left the room she heard somebody in the kitchen. Figuring it was Leo she went to apologize for the mess and explain why his roommate was going to be traumatized in the morning.

Leo was in the kitchen, sweeping the floor in short little sweeps to make sure he caught everything.

"Leo, I'm sorry I'll clean that up." She reached for the broom only to have it pulled out of her reach. "Leo? I said I could take care of that."

"No, no, it's fine really." Leo insisted.

"But I made the mess, I should clean it up."

"No, I've got it, really." He insisted rapidly.

Kit frowned at Leo's stubbornness. "What's with you? I swear I haven't pushed a broom in months because you always insist on sweeping, is it some kind of swordsman exercise or something?"

"You sweep funny." Leo replied shortly.

"I sweep funny?" Kit asked. Leo gave a short little nod. "You find my cleaning technique funny?"

"Not funny entertaining." Leo explained, "More of a funny…"

"A funny what?"

"Funny wrong."

Kit stared at him. It was one thing when he critiqued her katas, another thing when he dropped those not-so subtle hints about her trouble learning weapons crafting or some of her other lessons. But here he was calling how she pushed a stupid broom _wrong_!

"Leo! It doesn't really matter if I _pull_ the stinking broom! If the junk is in a pile that can be picked up that's all that matters!"

"But you push it wrong." Leo insisted; he kept his eyes on the floor to avoid making eye contact.

"Well, you want to see me use a broom right?! Fine! Criticize this!" Kit snatched the broom out of his hands and swung it at him. "OUT! OUT of the kitchen! Now! Go to bed, go to Spain, I don't care but OUT!"

Leo ducked the first and second swings. Then he held up an arm and blocked the third blow, "Maybe we should get you started on training with weapons soon." The forth swing connected solidly with his skull. "Ouch!" He ducked under the fifth swing. "I'm going! I'm going!" Kit watched angrily as he retreated to his room.

She growled under her breath and started sweeping with long, angry strokes. "Man! That guy is such a control freak! I don't care if they don't like that word, but anyone that picky about _sweeping_ is a freak." Kit continued to grumble to herself as she swept up the trash on the floor. After moving everything to a trashcan and wiping up the coffee stains on the counter Kit searched the kitchen for any more hidden caffeine products and then went back to bed for a quick nap before morning training began.

After silence had settled over the lair again a lone and shadowy figure slipped out of Donnie and Leo's room. It crept over to the kitchen, lifted the broom and began sweeping in short little sweeps.


	5. Withdrawal

I do not own the TMNT.

Oh, but if I did I might be willing to lend them out to nice people who review my stories!

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Chapter five; Withdrawal

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"Whoa. You look _dead_." Mikey said politely.

Kit uncovered her eyes long enough to glare at him. She lay on the floor with one arm over her eyes trying to figure out why she was the only one without a problem and yet she was the one that felt like death warmed over.

From dealing with Mikey getting literally stuck to his game controls, to Donnie's caffeine binge and Leo's obsessive compulsiveness Kit had been too disturbed to get much more sleep that night. Every time she'd start to drift off an image of Raph cuddling the shell cycle or Mikey's creepy blood-shot eyes would float up in front of her.

"Hey Raph! Working on your bike?" Mikey called. Kit lifted her arm a little and saw Raphael storming out of the stone elevator and towards his room. The only thing off about his appearance was his distinct lack of a mask. Suddenly Kit wasn't feeling so under the weather.

"Morning Raph!" She called. Her cheery greeting was met with a savage growl.

Mikey shook his head, "That's why he shouldn't get up so early to work on his bike." He glanced down curiously when Kit started snickering.

Just then Leo emerged from his room. He closed the door slowly, like he expected to trigger an explosion, before he joined the others in the Dojo. "I don't think Don will be joining us this morning." He said.

Mikey was instantly concerned. "You never let anybody off of morning training unless they're hurt or sick! Is Donnie okay?"

Leo considered his answer carefully. "He's, not sick really, and he's not hurt. Mikey, if you can get him to, he can join practice."

That was good enough for Mikey. He jumped over Kit and ran to wake up Donnie. As for Leo, he stood directly over Kit so that he could look straight down at her. "You don't look so good."

In reply to his comment Kit stuck out her tongue and blew. The result wasn't quite a raspberry but the meaning was the same. She then stood so that Leo couldn't loom over her so much. "Obsessive compulsive nut." She muttered.

"What?"

"Nothing."

They waited in silence for a moment. Neither of them reacted when a blood curdling scream came from Leo and Donnie's room. Mikey jumped out the door and leaned against it to make sure it stayed closed.

"Maybe he should sit this one out!" Mikey suggested.

The door opened inwards behind him and Mikey crashed to the floor. He screamed again and barely dodged as a bo staff clacked against the floor where his head had been and a moment later the door slammed shut again.

"Caffeine withdrawal." Leo noted.

"Uh-huh." Kit agreed as Mikey sheepishly started towards them. "And think, with his coffee maker destroyed, and the only one who can fix a new one incapacitated, he should be able to dry out this time."

"If we can keep April from getting his fix to him again." Leo added.

"Exactly." Kit nodded.

By now Raph had found a spare mask and had also joined them in the dojo. Kit looked over at Mikey, whose eyes kept twitching from the monitoring area with his games to his hands, which looked a little raw. She then glanced at Raph, he had developed a strange habit of twitching his fingers like they were still gripping his motorcycle. As for Leo, he was in his element, taking command and running them through a quick series of warm-ups before morning training.

Now that Donnie was on the road to being 'clean' what was Kit going to do about the other turtles?

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Poor Donnie, I'm told cold turkey can be the best way sometimes.

As for any solutions for the other guys, I might be willing to consider any sugestions…

Please review.


	6. Sick

I do not own the TMNT

Nor do I own Starbucks or their products, or the Q-Tips brand.

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Chapter Six; Sick

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A withered, pale and sickly creature crawled across the floor of the lair, almost leaving a slime trail as it slunk into the kitchen. There came the clattering of cans and a tormented moan.

"Yes Don, I found the energy drinks." Kit called. The creature hissed at her.

Moments of silence passed before the door of the refrigerator opened and stuff in there was pushed around. "And the Starbucks Lattes." Kit added. The hiss grew to a wet growl. As the creature searched in vain for his hidden goods his enemy calmly sat at the kitchen table sipping apple juice and reading the comics from yesterday's paper.

Something heavy scrapped across the floor. "Yes Donnie, I looked behind the cabinet." A choking gasp. Not long after that the sad remains of what used to be a brilliant engineer and a skilled martial artist sadly oozed over to the bathroom, shutting the door placidly behind it.

"And the stash behind the sink." Kit noted softly as she turned the page of the newspaper. Shortly after that came the wailing utterance of a soul undergoing absolute torment.

"Dudes." Mikey called from the monitoring area, "Donnie's beginning to scare me."

"He's worrying me too Mike." Leo said comfortingly, "But I have to agree with Kit. This is the best thing for him."

That being said Mikey returned to his game, and Leo returned to polishing his Katana. There was nothing inherently wrong with his polishing his katana. But Kit was pretty sure you didn't have to pay _that_ much attention to the handle. He was using Q-Tips to get at the space that the blade usually fit into; and he was using _polish_ in there!

As for Mikey, he had skipped breakfast that morning to play his games.

Michelangelo.

Skipped.

Breakfast.

If he skipped lunch Kit would fully expect to hear the trumpet sound and the end of the world to begin. This in mind she took another sip of apple juice and turned the page, not even noticing anymore as Leo reached out and compulsively straightened the corner where it had folded under.

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Review! Please! They are my _precious!_


	7. Enabler

I do not own the TMNT.

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Chapter seven; Enabler

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The world proved its willingness to exist for a little longer as Mikey paused his character long enough to shove a plate of leftovers in the microwave and grab a couple liters of soda. The only sign that he had learned anything from the previous night's experience was when he paused to wash his hands and took a wet paper towel to wipe his control off with.

For some reason beyond is brothers' grasp Raphael volunteered to do a load of laundry. Even Kit was mystified as he went around the lair gathering towels and dishcloths. It wasn't until just before he disappeared into the laundry room that Kit caught a glimpse of red peaking out of the pile he had collected.

Come to think of it; whatever part of the motorcycle she had tied his mask to was pretty greasy…

Donnie had eventually returned to his room for another nap while Leo was in the dojo practicing one of the guys' newer katas. As far as Kit could tell his actions were flawless, but there was a slight crease to his brow that showed his displeasure over something.

Kit was considering the idea of pelting Mikey with playing cards from a distance when the stone doors of the elevator slid open. "Hello everyone!" April called.

She was immediately given a demonstration in ninja speed when she suddenly went from having no turtles in the near vicinity to having one very affectionate turtle wrapped around her shoulders and hugging the breath out of her. "Um, hi Mikey." She managed.

"Not me Ape." Mikey waved from the monitoring area.

April glanced down until she could make out the color of the mask belonging to the turtle currently smileing fondly at her. "April have I told you recently that you're my favorite person in the whole entire universe?" Donnie asked sweetly.

"I, uh…" April tried to formulate a solid thought, she simply wasn't used to seeing him like this.

"April you are NOT to bring ANY form of caffeine down here!" Kit ordered. She hurried over and tried to pry Donnie off of the woman without hurting April.

Understanding and sympathy lit April's eyes, "Oh, you're trying to help him dry out." She said.

Kit nodded, Donnie looked defeated. April turned to talk to Donnie so that Kit couldn't see her face. "You know Don, this is necessary and beneficial. Too much caffeine is a bad thing, so don't ask me to bring you any coffee okay?"

The talk was convincing enough, so was the tone of voice. But the way Donatello's face momentarily lit up bothered Kit. Somehow she knew that April was going to cause trouble and Kit had to ensure that Donnie's supply was cut off. This called for drastic measures.

* * *

I'm a little surprised at Kit, she's a little over controlling in this fic. (Image of Donnie's caffeine binge pops into head.) on the other hand maybe she's not being controlling enough…

Please leave reviews!


	8. Critical measures

I do not own the TMNT

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Chapter eight; Critical measures

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April pulled up in front of the old abandoned building and picked her purse up off of the passenger seat. The purse held normal items such as make-up, a comb, a notebook and a paperback as well as a few other odds and ends. It also contained a secret pocket which contained two packets of instant coffee. The coffee machine might be out of order but the coffee itself contained enough caffeine to help get Donnie back to functioning order.

After stepping out of the car April hurried over to the side door of the garage and put her key in the lock. No sooner had she turned the key than a familiar engine stopped her and she turned around in time to see Casey pull his motorcycle up to the building.

"Hey Casey!" April called as the man pulled off his helmet, letting hair almost as long as April's fall to his shoulders. "Are you here to see Raph?"

Casey shook his head and grinned, "Nope, not here for Raph babe." He reached into his jacket and pulled out a single, long stemmed flower that April didn't recognize but couldn't deny its beauty. "I came here to see you."

Casey climbed off the motorcycle and walked over to April. "Listen, April, I got an invite backstage to something I know you'll like."

April was hesitant, the last backstage pass Casey had hooked hadn't turned out so well. "Wow, Casey, I don't know what to say…I kind of had prior-"

Before she could continue Casey grabbed her hand and slipped the flower into her hand. "April, I don't mean backstage to a concert, I mean backstage to one of them science lecture things you like. You do like that Dr. Cole guy right?"

April's eyes widened considerably, "Dr. Cole? You have an invitation to one Of Dr. Jonathan Cole's lectures?"

"Yep, a friend of mine even pulled some strings so you could, uh, talk to this Cole guy afterwards." Casey's smile hid his inner emotions. His benefactor had assured him that Dr. Cole was happily married but if this guy even looked at April funny…

"Casey, that's amazing! When is the lecture?" April asked.

"Uh, the pass said it would be at eight o'clock sharp, but my buddy told me to be there early."

Casey watched as April checked her watch and her eyes widened when she saw the time. "That really doesn't leave us much time."

"Then we'd better get going, we'll take my bike." April hardly gave her abandoned car a second thought as she hurried over to the bike with Casey.

* * *

"…Right, thanks… the check is in the mail!...Fine, fine, I'll hand deliver it…right. Bye Casey."

Casey hung up and went to sit with April in the lecture hall, on the other side of the line Kit was grinning like a loon. Sure keeping April out of the lair would drain her savings and possible result in her owing a lot of people favors but at least April would be distracted for a little bit longer.

Now to turn her thoughts to her next 'intervention.'

Leo? His obsessive behavior had several benefits and to be truthful Kit had no idea how to go about it. She would have to wait longer on their fearless leader and see if a plan couldn't be made.

Raph? The only solution Kit could think of at this point in time involved damaging the shell cycle and a damaged shell cycle could result in a damaged Kit. Self preservation negated that option.

Mikey?...Mikey.

* * *


	9. Delicate Handling

I do not own the TMNT or Nintendo products.

* * *

Chapter nine; Delicate handling

* * *

Kit, as a ninja, was still in training.

Although she was doing very well for someone who had started so late in life she would probably never catch up with her senior students. One of the few things she seemed to be really succeeding at was stealth. Which was a very good thing considering how Mikey had recently decided to start sleeping with his gameboy.

It took every scrap of training and experience to sneak into Mikey's bedroom and climb up onto his bed without waking the room's sleeping occupant. Clinging to the edge of the bed frame with a broken gameboy of the same make as Mikey's handheld system, Kit carefully advanced from the foot of the bed to the head.

Klunk awoke and peaked out from the blankets, golden eyes narrow with suspicion. Kit froze, hoping against hope that the ginger cat wouldn't decide to make Mikey aware of her presence.

"shhh, Klunk. I know you don't like me, but this is for Mikey's own good." Kit whispered softly.

Mikey's pet didn't seem too sure. Her jaws began to part and the smaller cat took a breath to meow. Just then Mikey gave a snort, both felines watched him carefully as he mumbled something about "Leo can't golf, swords make bad clubs." That said he yawned, a huge, jaw cracking yawn that made Kit's mouth twist in sympathy. The turtle then rolled over so that he was facing Kit.

Klunk seemed to accept her master's contented sleep as a sign that Kit wasn't an imminent threat and settled down under the blankets, still eyeing the intruder.

After taking a deep breath to calm her nerves Kit slowly reached over to where a green hand poked out from under the covers, clutching a Nintendo DS. Ever so gently she slid the device free and quickly tucked it into her belt. When Mikey sensed that the game was missing he started to murmur in his sleep and his hand twitched. Klunk started to growl over her master's distress. Before the guard cat could raise the alarm Kit quickly slipped a decoy game system into Mikey's hand.

The turtle quickly settled down, cuddling the system and smiling in his sleep.

"mission accomplished." Kit breathed. Mikey's mouth opened slightly as he exhaled. Kit was hit with a blast of deadly morning breath. Her lungs seized up at the smell and her grip slipped, causing her to fall from her tedious perch on the loft-bed.

She only just managed to control her landing, once again calling on every ounce of skill to avoid either breaking some of the junk on the floor, or causing any noise that would startle the turtle awake.

A tense moment of listening for movement from the top bunk. When she was greeted only with the sound of Mikey's deep, even breaths Kit carefully and quickly fled the room.

* * *

On top of the bed Klunk snorted at the retreating figure, then burrowed deeper into the covers, trying to get away from the smell her master had just released in his wisdom to chase away the strange one.


	10. Next victim

I do not own the green dudes, nor the rat.

* * *

Chapter ten; A lot more than twelve steps

* * *

Kit sipped a mug of tea, and then glanced at the tan liquid contemplatively.

She hadn't always been a fan of tea, used to hate it as much as any other normal person. But after living with the guys long enough, the smell, and then the taste had eventually grown on her. It was a good thing. When one had tea who needed those chocolaty, sugar blasted creations like the cereal Raph was eating? There was absolutely no health value to what Raph was currently scarfing down with his usual gusto while Kit's tea had vitamin C and antioxidants and…stuff.

Suddenly Kit found herself fighting the urge to steal Raph's cereal and go on a sugar binge.

As for Raph, he was wondering why Kit sometimes seemed to tense up for no reason at all.

Leo was in the dojo. He had been practicing extra a lot lately, but that was never surprising after Master Splinter introduced his students to a new technique.

Donnie had recovered enough to start tinkering about in his lab again, but it came as something of a surprise to everyone that the pieces of his coffee machine were not what he was working on.

And Mikey was in his room, probably just about to start up his game system, Kit relaxed and smiled at the thought.

"_**DO-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-ONNNNNNNNNNNNNNEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE**_!!"

Mikey's voice echoed around the lair in a volume usually only heard when rockets were being launched at Cape Canaveral.

The turtle streaked from his room to Donnie's lab with a speed he was previously considered incapable of.

"What is it Mikey?" Donnie looked up with the best expression of annoyance and exasperation he could come up with while still depressed from caffeine withdrawal. With one hand he lifted his working goggles and with the other hand he reached for an icepack to treat the headache that had been nearly constant for the last couple of days.

Mikey held out his hands, cradling something as his eyes filled with tears and his lower lip trembled. "He's hurt! I need you to help him! Is he alright?"

Donnie was already trying to run through possible cat injuries when he looked down and saw what Mikey was carefully cradling in his outstretched hands. "Mikey, that's your handheld, not a he.

"PLEASE Donnie! You have to help him." Mikey fell to his knees, holding the game system up like a sacred treasure.

Donnie considered his options. He was busy, but his head hurt and Mikey's begging would only make the headache worse. Mikey's powers of annoying-ness combined with the caffeine withdrawal headache could turn into a full blown migraine, which could put Donnie out of commission for hours. He sighed. "Let me take a look at it."

Mikey gleefully handed the device to Donnie. Donnie carefully took the system apart and started to look at the various components. After several minutes he frowned and pulled his goggles down. "Hmm."

Mikey watched anxiously, hopping from foot to foot in anticipation. "What does that mean?"

"Shush." Donnie pulled out a magnifying glass and looked closer at the different parts of the system. "Uh-hm." He confirmed.

"What? What does that mean?" Mikey's eyes were wide; he looked ready to crawl out of his shell in anticipation.

"It's dead. Can't fix it, not even going to try." Donnie said with conviction.

"_**WHAT!!**_"

Donnie took a moment to rub over his inner ear that was now ringing, officially kicking the headache up several degrees. "It's dead, it can't be fixed, but there is good news."

"Donnie this is no time for a car insurance joke! What am I going to do?" Mikey clenched the sides of his mask and bit his lip, hopping faster and faster from one foot to the other.

"Mikey, don't panic, this isn't your system. I've never even seen this one before. I'm sure your system is somewhere around here in perfect functioning order." Donnie assured him.

"But, then, where's…" Mikey's mind raced, an action something like a small mouse on a dog sized hamster wheel. "Wait a minute…Klunk was acting funny this morning." Squeak went the hamster wheel. "He usually only acts like that…KIT!" The poor mouse collapsed in exhaustion as Mikey turned a convicting finger towards Kit's seat at the kitchen table.

Which was no longer being used. Raph glanced down at the newly emptied seat beside him, mildly surprised to see that Kit had suddenly vanished.

Hang in there, things get really fun in the next chapter, (insert the evilest grin you've ever seen here)

Um...Reviews please!

Please?


	11. Need a Fix

I do not own any video games, systems or rights. All I have is what came with my computer and a full version of pocket tanks deluxe. But I don't have the rights to them… or the turtles...or Master Splinter.

I was told that the short little chapters were annoying, so let me know if this is better.

* * *

Chapter eleven; need a fix

* * *

For a moment Mikey stood, pointing at the empty chair with a blank look on his face. Then, one thought slinked into his mind.

He. Needed. His. Game time.

His handheld was missing, probably with Kit wherever she was, but that still left his other systems. The X-box, the PS original, two and three, the Wii and even the classic Nintendo, covered in dust but still good. No there was no need to panic.

"Good morning my sons."

No, it couldn't be that late.

"And how are you this morning?"

Raph looked right at Mikey. "Everything's terrific." He answered cheerfully.

Master Splinter nodded. It was good to see Raphael in such a good mood. Even Donatello was smiling, a good sign that either he was recovering from his need for caffeine or had managed to get some without Kitrian's knowing. Of course there was a slight hint of mischief in his eyes that hinted it was either the latter, or that there was something in the air that Master Splinter was as of yet unaware of.

Michelangelo looked sick. Hopefully his being in Donatello's laboratory was a good sign that he was being cared for.

As Master Splinter sat down in front of the television, the _only_ television in the lair, he was unaware of just how much distress his normally care-free son was under.

Mikey stepped forward as though drawn by some unseen force, then recoiled as if he had been struck.

Mikey.

Needed.

Gamage.

Mikey stepped forward almost without control of himself.

Interrupting Sensei's stories was akin to death.

Mikey recoiled back.

Must.

Have.

Gamage.

He stepped forward once again.

Splinter

HATES

Interruptions.

Mikey stepped back.

Games.

Splinter.

Games.

Splinter.

Games.

DEATH!

With a whimper Mikey ran to his room. Maybe, just maybe he had an old handheld system lying under the junk in his room. Donnie and Raph exchanged grins and watched Mikey's doorway for further activity. Leo had finished with his kata and came into the kitchen, keeping an eye on Mikey's room as well.

Almost five minutes after Mikey had disappeared into his room Klunk came scrambling out, yowling, confused and scared. The ginger cat made it no more than three yards from the door before a thick blanket landed on him; then another one, and a sheet, another sheet, two pillows and a lighter blanket. The poor cat finally managed to scramble out from under the covers. No sooner was Klunk in the kitchen, worrying his fur, than like a dike that had sprung a leak junk started pouring out of Mikey's door.

Comic books, action figures, notebooks, pencils, pens, old broken nunchucku, pictures, a camera, junk food wrappers, junk food, dull shuriken, not so dull shuriken, a lamp, a basket, street clothes, a pipe, a skateboard, a stuffed bear, an old scrap of orange cloth that looked like his old ninja mask, books, a calculator that should have been in Donnie's lab, CD's, a couple CD players, headphones, some ninja smoke pellets that went off after hitting the floor, and even more junk came cascading out of Mikey's room.

Finally the flow of possessions, not all of which were Mikey's, slowed. A yo-yo rolled slowly through the door, coming to a stop when it reached the pile of junk that hardly looked like it could have fit in Mikey's room.

A breath of silence.

"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

A green streak escaped Mikey's room, orange mask tails were pulled too fast to even flap as he dashed to the monitoring area. "MasterSplinterIknowwe'renotsupposedtointeruptyourstoriesbutthisisanemergency!Youknowyou'llseewhathappenswhentheshowgoesintorerunssomaybeIcould-"

Three brothers braced themselves for a wack, a thump, a thwack, anything.

Master Splinter hardly looked up from the television. "My son, you would do well to look before you leap. Your video game consoles have not been here all morning."

Mikey looked to where he normally kept his game systems and felt the blood drain from his face. They were not there. With a squeak he dove at the box he usually stored his games and consoles in, it was not there.

Soon Mikey wandered into the kitchen, his face pale and his eyes wide. "She…she…" He looked in utter shock. With a whimper he sat down on the floor and curled up, rocking back and forth on the ridge of his shell. "My games. She took them. E-e-evil." Leo knelt down next to him and patted Mikey comfortingly on the shoulder.

Leo couldn't really find fault in Kit's 'borrowing' Mikey's video game paraphernalia. He was more than aware of how obsessed with the things his brother had become over the last few months. Perhaps in the end it would turn out for the better, like with Donnie's losing his dependence on caffeine. And Raph certainly approved of the idea; he was trying his darnedest not to start laughing so that the milk from his cereal wouldn't come spraying from his nostrils. As for Donnie, well, Leo didn't want to see what would happen if Mikey made Donnie's headache any worse.

Leo's thoughts were interrupted by a faint sound coming from Mikey. The orange banded turtle was curled up with his face tucked behind his kneepads so Leo couldn't quite recognize the sound. He leaned a little closer.

_Thup-thup-thup_

It was a sound Leo hadn't heard in more than a decade. It was no wonder it took him a few seconds to place it.

_Thup-thup-thup-thup-thup_

Mikey was sucking his thumb.


	12. Disinterest

I do not own the TMNT.

* * *

Chapter Next; Disinterest

* * *

Leo watched as Mikey sadly bit into a potato chip. There was no joy in his artery clogging snack. Mikey neither wolfed the junk food down in handfuls, nor tipped the bag over his head and enjoyed the starchy, salty taste of chips right out of the bag.

He reached into the bag, withdrew a single chip and then sadly bit into it. His despondency over the loss of his games was clear in the fact that it took him three bites to finish the chip, and very few crumbs fell to the table.

Leo figured his brother could use some encouragement. "Cheer up Mikey, I'm sure that after a few days, when Kit's sure you've learned your lesson, you'll get your games back!"

A half-eaten potato chip crashed to the table. "A…few…days?" Mikey stuttered. "A…"His left eyelid twitched, "Few…" The right on twitched, "…_days?!_" Both eyes widened until Leo was sure the mask would slide off his eyelids and onto the whites. "I CAN'T LAST THAT LONG!" He screeched, suddenly jumping up from the table and running into the tunnels calling "Zelda! Zelda!"

Leo watched Mikey race out of the lair.

A moment later Kit sat down at the table with a fresh cup of tea in hand. "Finally, I thought he'd never leave."

Her stealth was rewarded with an amused smirk from Leo, "You do realize you'll have to face him eventually, don't you?"

Kit flinched as she sipped at her tea, "I was kind of hoping to stay in denial about that."

Leo chuckled to himself and returned to his book. "First Donnie, now Mikey, I wonder who you're planning against next?"

His companion watched Leo as he turned the page, carefully holding the cover so as not to crease the spine. _You don't wanna' know._ She thought cryptically.

The doors of the elevator opened and Raph came in. For some reason he no longer wore his mask when he worked on his bike. In fact he was tying it back on while he walked across the lair. As he passed Donnie's lab a strange _foom_ and a large puff of grey smoke billowing out of the Lab caused Raph to drop into a defensive position for a moment before Donnie assured him it was alright. Raph then continued into the kitchen.

Just as he passed the table Mikey came streaking through the room, "Zelda! Ze-elda!" He called before running out of the lair again.

"Mikey's beginnin' to sound like that one loser from that sappy romance movie April made us watch." Raph grumbled.

Kit crawled out from her hiding place under the table, "Yeah, sorry about that." She apologized.

Leo turned the page on his book again. Raph watched the way Kit's eyes followed Leo's every movement, right down to the way the her eyelids narrowed slightly as an idea struck her. Raph wasn't sure what the cat had on her mind, but seeing the ginsu master freak out would be worth the extra chaos in the lair.

* * *

Okay, another short chapter, but at least it's another chapter!

Reviews are the bread and butter that go with Kit and Leo's tea!


	13. Disorientation

I do not own the TMNT

I also apologize, this chapter isn't terribly funny but the plot bunnies have been rather somber lately.

* * *

Chapter Thirteen; Disorientation.

* * *

It was like music, the way Leonardo's twin katana sang through the air in perfect unison. The sound soothed him to a degree, and for anyone living in the lair the sound held a somewhat comforting power.

Yet, like any song that was played too often, or when a turtle happens to be feeling a tad betrayed, the swords' music could hold great annoyance as well.

Mikey sat pouting on the couch, staring at his beloved television and the clean spot on the floor where his game consoles used to be kept. His thoughts were dark as he listened to Leo train. Why hadn't fearless leader protected his babies? Could the world truly be such a cold, hard place?

Even as he thought these thoughts he heard Leo pause in his training. Mikey turned to see what the cause of his second most boring brother's deviation from habit was.

Raphael was storming across the lair with an air of desperation, not even bothering to retie his mask. He walked in a dead straight line to Donnie's lab.

"Don, where are ya' keepin' the gas?"

Donnie looked up at Raph through his goggles. "In the barrels by the battle shell, same as always." His, voice held a strong amount of annoyance, more than he usually had when working on a simple chemistry experiment.

"They're empty Don, every last one of 'em." Raph insisted, gesturing emphatically with his hands.

That confused Donnie, "But I filled them just last week."

"Well if you did then somebo-" He stopped, pausing in mid-word with his mouth still open and his hands still in the air. Slowly he lowered his hands, clenching them into fists as he did so and his mouth closing. "Kit." He spat. "Don, could ya call April an-"

"I haven't been able to get a hold of April in days Raph, you're just going to have to wait on the gas." Donnie interrupted. "And before you ask, no, I'm not looking into alternate fuel sources at the moment. You'll just have to go without your joyrides for a little while."

Raph stared at Donnie like he had lost his mind. But Donatello had already turned back to his work with a clear meaning of the conversation being over. The hothead's fists clenched tighter and tighter and soon he had a good growl revved up.

"KIT YOU BETTER KEEP YOUR BLACK TAIL OUT OF MY SIGHT OR I'LL TEAR IT OFF!" He shot a glair at the monitoring area but Mikey had already dropped behind the couch for safety and Leo was working at his kata again like nothing happened.

* * *

The door of Master Splinter's room had only been opened about a quarter inch. It quickly slid shut before Raph stormed past, grumbling vicious threats under his breath and unaware that the target for these threats could hear every word. Once the turtle was out of earshot Kit let out a sigh and sat down to have tea with Master Splinter. "Domo arigato sensei."

"Douitashimashite." Master Splinter nodded.

* * *

He he.

And ya'll thought Leo was next.

Don't worry, I have neither finished with Raph nor forgotten the obsessive one.

Now the question is; how will Kit survive?

Please review.


	14. DT's

I do not own the TMNT

Kit is mine.

* * *

Chapter Sixteen; Delirium Tremens

* * *

"RAAH!" Raph leapt and just barely caught Kit by the back of her gi.

"Hold her down!" Mikey yelled, throwing himself down over her tail and legs while Raph held down her arms.

"OW! HEY! MIKEY YOU"RE BREAKING MY LEGS!" Kit shouted, she usually had a pretty high tolerance for pain, but one hundred and sixty pounds of turtle crashing down on her shins and knees was a little too much.

"DON! DONNIE WE GOT HER!" Raph bellowed. He moved so the he was above Kit's head leaning over her to put his weight on her arms and Mikey continued to crush her legs.

"_Don't let her go_!" Donnie shouted from his lab.

"IGNORE HIM! LET ME GO!" Kit was struggling as much as possible against the two large ninja.

"I'm here!" Donnie came running across the lair. He was wearing a lab coat and some weird version of his goggles that Kit found rather creepy. "Alright, where is the specimen?"

Kit glared up at him, "Donnie, what are you talking about?"

"Nothing to concern yourself with." Donnie told her, then promptly forgot she was there. "Do you have a firm hold on the specimen?"

"Oh yeah." Raph's expression was pure, evil joy.

"Check." Mikey couldn't exactly pull off evil, but he gave it his best shot. Donnie nodded and leaned over Kit, studying her closely. Finally he nodded to himself and reached into his lab jacket.

"Don? What are you doing? Donnie?!" The turtle pulled out a large handsaw. "What the?! **LEO! LEOLEOLEO!**" Donnie knelt down beside Kit and placed one hand over her face to hold her head still as he angled the saw over her skull. "_**GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-!**_"

* * *

"KIT! Wake up!"

"_**-AAAAAAAAAAAAAUOUCH!**_" Kit sat up so quickly she banged into a very concerned, and now pained, Leonardo. "Leo! Leo, I'm sorry!" She was fighting both guilt at having hurt him, and laughter seeing him lying stunned on his shell. When Kit had jerked awake her head had collided with Leo. Fortunately for her she had only hit her forehead; unfortunately for Leo she had hit him in the face.

They were currently in Kit's secret hiding place. It was an abandoned rest stop that Kit had lived in when she first came to New York. All the guys were aware of its existence, but only Leo knew exactly where it was. This made it the perfect hiding spot for her while the others were out for her blood. Leo had come to check on her, bring her food and update her on her chances for survival should she choose to return to the lair.

"It's no problem." Leo managed as he sat up. He kept one hand firmly planted over one of the hole in his mask. "Uh, nightmare?" He asked. Although he appeared unfazed by the blow, other than covering his eye, his uncovered eye watered slightly.

"Uh, yeah." Kit shoved the blanket of her bedroll off and put a hand on Leo's wrist to pull it away from his face. He resisted. "It was stupid really, something about Donnie going mad scientist, psycho inventor on me." She pulled harder on his hand, he resisted. Leo was never a good patient, especially if he happened to get injured in a less than heroic manner.

"So, are you okay?" He asked, his concern was genuine, but somewhat out of place considering the silent battle he and Kit were having over the hand covering his eye. Kit shot him a look that could put the fear of God in normal humans; it barely convinced Leo to let her move his hand.

"I'm fine, Donnie frequently goes loony in my nightmares." Kit glanced nervously from Leo's red, watery eye to his good, watery eye, "I don't have a nasty scar across my forehead or a steel cap or anything; right?"

"Not that I can tell." Leo assured her. He didn't miss the slight shift of her shoulders as she let loose a silent breath of relief.

After assuring herself that she hadn't rendered Leo partially blind Kit sat back on the bedroll, "You know, maybe it's time I gave Mikey and Raph their stuff back." She said reluctantly. "I mean, it's starting to be a matter of self preservation."

Leo wiped at his eye and shook his head, "Maybe not. Raph and Mikey are starting to show improvement. Mikey's working on his art and writing more, he's training more seriously and Raph is actually socializing…when he isn't working his punching bag over." Leo chuckled, "This afternoon they even got together and…um…you don't want to hear about that. So! How have you been lately?"

Kit frowned at the attempt to change the subject. "Bored out of my wits. Raph and Mike did what?"

Leo shrugged, he stood up and distracted himself by looking around the rest area. "Nothing really, Mikey just gave Raph a few painting tips." He suddenly seemed very interested in a crack in the wall.

His attempts to evade answering fully were not appriciated. Kit quickly stood up and started tailing Leo. "What are you not telling me?"

"Does this look like it's structural?" Leo asked, running a finger along the crack.

"No." Kit grabbed his shoulder and spun him around, "What did Raph and Mike do?"

"Nothing!" Leo insisted.

Although she was shorter than Leo and built on the slender side of skinny there was something intimidating about having an angry black mutant cat glaring at a person. "They did something to my bible didn't they? I swear Leo if they touched that you will lose two members of your family!"

"NO! They didn't mess with anything in your room they just painted…the…" Leo started to defend his brothers but slowed near the end.

"Painted what?" Kit asked curiously; not as threatening as before.

"Raph's punching bag." Leo answered plainly.

Kit nodded, "They painted me on Raph's bag right?" She guessed. Leo nodded. "And you said Raph had been working his bag lately right?" More nodding. Kit sighed and headed back to her bedroll, "On second thought, maybe I should stay away from the lair for another few days…or months."

* * *

Don't worry, I still plan to get Leo, but he's being so nice I have to let him alone for a little while longer.

Please Review.


	15. Disregarding Health Risks

Another short chapter, hope you like.

I do not own the TMNT

* * *

Chapter 17; Disregarding health risks

* * *

The lights in the lair were dimmed to simulate the evening above ground. They couldn't be turned off completely or the lair would lapse into complete darkness.

But the dim lighting provided just enough shadow cover for a small, stealthy figure to slip in unseen and carefully make her way to the second level.

_I am so stupid, why am I doing this?_ Kit asked herself.

_Because I'm bored out of my mind out there!_ She reminded herself.

…_and now I'm sassing myself. So this is what isolation does to a person._

She crept up to her room and slowly slipped inside. Just as she was beginning to congratulate herself on her victory she heard a snort and froze. A few moments of heart stopping silence later the room was filled with snoring, loud and deep snoring.

_Why isn't he sleeping with his motorcycle?!_ Kit panicked. Clearly this was an indication that Raph had not even condidered beginning to think about beginning to forgive and forget.

Raph sat at the end of the bed, his arms crossed over his chest and one hand absently toying with the handle of his sais, but his face was relaxed and undoubtedly asleep. Kit carefully slid open the drawer to her nightstand and pulled out her bible and a reading light, but after placing her hand on the outside of the drawer to push it shut she noticed the vial of India Ink and the calligraphy set that was also in the drawer.

After staring at it for a moment with the worm of an idea wiggling in her mind Kit jumped when Raph snorted again. She looked up as he sleepily rubbed at his beak and dropped his arm before sliding back off to sleep.

Another quick glance at the calligraphy set and Kit could feel the mother of all grins tugging at her mouth.

This would effectively result in an extended banishment from the Lair; but she had been living with Mikey far too long to pass up this opportunity.


	16. Apathy

For those of you who are sane; A vidiot is the splicing together of video-game and idiot. It is the only term my brother and his friends will accept in reference to their addiction.

I do not own the TMNT, Kit is mine.

* * *

Chapter eighteen; Apathy

* * *

For the first time in days Michelangelo was in a good mood. He neither begged Donnie for a newly repaired game system, nor pestered Leo while he was training. Not once did he even hint at Master Splinter using uber mad ninja master skills to locate the missing video game paraphernalia. He was doing pretty well today and it was already four in the morning!

As he paced in his room he finally reached the end of his patience and went to find somebody to bug. He stopped with one foot outside his room, however, when he saw Kit sneaking out of the lair. Mikey grinned maliciously and was about to show her just what a vidiot could do with proper motivation when she glanced over her shoulder and snickered. The curiosity was too much and Mikey decided to forgo his plans against Kit in favor of seeing what she had done.

Following the direction her glance had set up, Mikey moved stealthily to her room and peaked inside. Much to his surprise Mikey found Raph sitting on Kit's bed, fast asleep and covered in graffiti.

The top of his head –everything above the mask- was painted with a half-Celtic half-henna pattern that ran together in some spots while below the mask there was a series of lines and shapes that didn't seem to have any particular rhyme or reason, but looked pretty cool anyway. Even Raph's eyelids had been painted black.

Down his arms and over his plastron the ink had been placed in a series of Japanese lettering that Mikey paused for a minute to try and translate. Due in part to the dim lighting, and mostly to his lack of studying Mikey couldn't quite make out the general meaning of the Kanji. Although that one looked like it either meant 'sleep' and 'rest' or 'Eat at Marty's'.

A large hand suddenly seized one of the tails of Mikey's mask that had been hanging down over his shoulder. Mikey looked up and realized with a start that his brother was awake, and angry.

"I DIDN'T DO IT! IT WASN'T M-_**EEP**_!"

* * *

After sitting in her hideout reading about the apostles it finally occurred to Kit that she was being a coward, and there was nothing she hated more than a coward. So she decided to head back to the lair to face the music.

After packing up her stuff she moved out through the barricaded wall and marched resolutely through the tunnels to one of the hidden rear entrances to the lair. She walked up the brick façade and was about to pull out the brick that covered a security panel when a high-pitched sound, probably a good octave above what humans could hear, made Kit cringe and look up.

Tied to one of the sturdier water mains running along the ceiling of the tunnel was a familiar orange masked turtle that Kit had grown to miss during her days of self imposed exile. It was hard for him to speak because his signature orange mask was currently holding something in his mouth that stunk up the entire tunnel; which was really saying something considering the fact that it was a _sewer_ tunnel.

"I suppose you want me to cut you down?" Kit asked. Mikey repeated his curiously high squeak. "Fine, hang on a sec." Kit dropped her bag and stepped over to the wall. She easily climbed up using the pipes, cracks in the wall and the occasional electrical line until she was high enough to reach Mike.

With a slight movement of her hand Kit was able to draw a shurike from her wrist guards and used the blade to cut through the ropes holding Mikey. Soon the turtle dropped to the floor and immediately pulled the mask away from his mouth and spat out the contents of his mouth.

Gym socks.

Kit blinked at the socks before she too dropped to the bottom of the tunnel. "Gym socks? Who wears socks?"

Mikey, for his part, was spitting and trying to get the taste out of his mouth and the smell out of his nose. "CASEY!" he managed.

"Oh." Kit cringed sympathetically, "So what did you do to tick Raph off this badly?"

Mikey suddenly grew quiet. Kit glanced up and jumped back in time to avoid Mikey as he tried to grab her. "I didn't do it, you did!" Mikey jumped again and Kit was barely able to avoid him.

"I didn't…Oh, right, I guess I did." Kit nodded remembering what she had done. She couldn't help but smile wistfully, she had wanted to see his reaction for herself.

"Yes you did!" Mikey agreed whole heartedly as he again jumped at Kit, this time she took off running with the normally cheerful turtle following her closely. "Casey's SOCKS! I had them in my MOUTH because of you!" Michelangelo shouted. "And I still want my games back!"

"NEVER!"

* * *

Donatello sat back in his desk chair, eyes glued to the monitor.

His hand twitched with the memory of coffee mugs and coffee cups but unfortunately it was empty, as was Donnie's internal caffeine supply. He was working on that however. Right now he was taking a break and watching the security cameras.

Donnie could have easily gone to help Kit, but seeing as how he hadn't seen a single coffee bean or grain of instant in over a week he wasn't feeling to charitable towards her. Mikey could have used a little help too. Unfortunately for him; after he had set back Donnie's experiments and research almost to the beginning just to ask for a new game system for the forty second time Donnie wasn't feeling very willing to help him either.

If one of them was hurt he would patch them up… Until then he sat back and enjoyed the show.

* * *

Not the best of chapters. Forgive me!

Please review.


	17. Loss of Control

I do not own the TMNT

Kit is, and will remain, MINE!

* * *

Chapter nineteen: Loss of self control.

* * *

Kit survived her encounter with Mikey. Not long after she had managed to lose him in the tunnels Kit returned to the lair, and promptly fled again with Raph hot on her tail.

It took a couple hours, but she eventually returned once again to the lair and limped straight to the kitchen. Leo was in there facing off against the microwave and trying to figure out why it wouldn't work for him. "Back at last I see." He said without turning.

"Uh-huh." Kit mumbled. She reached for the tea kettle and flinched as a sore spot on her shoulder made itself known. For once she was regretting ever convincing the guys that the 'never hit a girl' rule didn't apply to her. Kit's reasoning for all her work seemed to be slipping. Why was she subjecting herself to this abuse again? "Vroom." She quietly reminded herself; Kit still had nightmares about that.

"What?" Leo stood up straight and turned around, "What did you say?"

"Um, need help?" Kit covered, grinning helpfully.

Leo looked skeptical, but accepted it. "I can't get the buttons to work, aren't they supposed to at least beep?"

"I'll take a look if you make me some of your famous tea." Kit smiled, holding out her hand.

With a soft chuckle Leo shook her hand. "Deal." The two of them moved to opposite sides of the kitchen, Leo opened the cupboard with the tea in it. "Would you like anything in particular?"

Kit rubbed at a growing bruise on her chest. "Morphine." She mumbled before adding, more loudly, "Anything's fine."

"Kit, you've started to mumble a lot lately. You should work on that before it becomes a major habit…" Leo started a llow level lecture as he prepared the tea and waited for the water to come to a boil. Kit half listened to him in case he asked a question; especially the dreaded 'did you hear a word of what I just said?'. Mostly though, she focused on the microwave.

As predicted the buttons on the microwave were lifeless. Kit opened the door and pulled out the plate Leo had been trying to zap. She calmly removed the aluminum foil, crumpling it into a little ball and throwing it into the trash. After transferring the leftover Chinese food from the styrofoam plate onto a regular plate from the cabinet she covered it with a paper towel and put it back in the microwave. A moment of focused listening to Leo's voice to make sure his shell was still turned to her Kit reached over the appliance and plugged it in. She then wacked it good and hard before entering the time and hitting start.

"See Leo, you just need to show it whose boss!" Kit announced cheerfully. Leo turned and looked curiously at the machine that was now humming pleasantly. He held up a hand, ready to put voice to the confusion on his face but was distracted again when the tea pot started to whistle.

Leo turned back to the stove and picked up the kettle. The hot water was poured into two awaiting cups and a small stick was used to stir the darkening liquid. Once that was done Leo tapped the extra liquid off the stick once before setting it aside and lifting the cups. One of the cups was handed to Kit who gratefully accepted it.

With a small, self satisfied smile, Leo leaned back against the counter and watched as Kit savored the scent of the tea before taking a first sip, using caution for the heat. A small smile settled over her mouth as she let the taste sit on her tongue. "Perfect as usual Leo." She complimented honestly.

"Thank you." Leo said without a trace of modesty. It was a well known fact that Leo made the best tea in the lair and he found some pleasure in being able to do _something_ right in the kitchen. He was just about to take a sip of his own tea when an amused sound from Kit made him stop.

She was holding the cup tilted forward slightly so the liquid moved towards her, almost spilling over the edge. "Did you know all the tea cups have a stain? It's at the exact same level in all the cups." Leo frowned and tilted his own cup slightly, sure enough there was a pale brown line right at the level of his tea. Another amused sound from Kit, "Silly idea here, what if Mr. Perfect pours his tea _exactly_ the same every time? Boy wouldn't Raph get a kick out of that!" That said, Kit took another sip of tea, humming contentedly at the taste before leaving the kitchen.

Leo continued to stare at the pale stain in his cup, of course it wasn't because of him! Wasn't it?

He was so intent upon his drink that he nearly jumped out of his shell when the microwave beeped, but miraculously he didn't spill a drop.

After the appliance had again become silent Leo glared at it. "I am _not_ perfect." he muttered.

A moment passed where Leo continued to stare at his cup. He then put it down and reached for another.

* * *

Not a hilarious chapter, but very important nontheless.

Yes, Kit has returned to the lair! (and yes, Raph beat the tar out of her for both the bike and the ink)

Please review


	18. Precise Routines

I do not own the TMNT.

Kit belongs to 54Viruses

For the record, Kit is quite use to getting beaten to a figurative pulp. If the guys go easy on her and try not to hurt her they usually find themselves on the floor and in pain. So don't feel too sympathetic towards her.

* * *

Chapter eighteen; Precise Routines

* * *

_Maybe I'll just stay here and not move for a little while. Yeah, that sounds good._

Kit lay face down on her bed, hurting.

However, as nice as it felt to not move, Kit proved herself perfectly capable when she heard a growl and sat up just in time to back away from a still very angry, black topped Raphael. "Whoa. Raph, can we talk about this? RAPH!"

Raphael grabbed Kit's jacket and bodily lifted her off the bed, holding her up and glaring at her. Although having Raphael mad at one's self always held a degree of fear, Kit wasn't sure if the dark smudging across his head, eyelids, face and arms made this more or less scary.

She was none too gently shoved against the wall with her feet hovering several inches above the wall. "Really Raph! I'm sorry about the ink and I'll return the gas just as soon as I-"

"What did ya do ta Leo?"

Kit blinked. "What?"

"Ya took Donnie's coffee, Mikey's games and the gas t' my bike, wa'd ya do ta Leo?" Raph asked.

It slowly dawned on Kit that Raph wasn't being overtly threatening or violent, just his normal physical self. "I haven't done anything to Leo…yet."

Raph snorted, "Sure ya haven't. So why's he actin' stranger than normal, huh?"

Kit blinked again, "How's Leo acting strange?"

Her feet finally made contact with the floor as Raphael dropped her. "He's in th' kitchen, see for yourself."

She did just that. Kit hurried from her room and jumped down to the main floor before making a beeline for the kitchen. Just outside she stopped and peaked inside.

Leo was pouring water into several cups lined up on the counter. He'd close his eyes, pour the water, stop, look at the cup and mutter something to himself before moving on to the next cup. He seemed intently focused on his goal…whatever it was.

Kit watched quietly as he continued this new pouring ritual.

Close eyes.

Pour.

Stop.

Inspect.

Self depreciate.

Repeat.

Once he came to the end of the line he quickly poured the cups back into the pitcher and dried them with a dish rag before repeating the process. Kit frowned as she watched him. "That's…odder than usual." She noted quietly. Suddenly she was grabbed from behind and spun around to face Raph, who was angry for real this time.

"What did 'ja mean by apologizing for the ink?" He demanded, again lifting her by her jacket and holding her so that her nose nearly touched his beak.

"U-u-uh…" It slowly dawned on Kit that Raph hadn't known exactly who was responsible for the art on his skin. He had only attempted to pulverize her earlier because of the bike. She made her eyes go wide and pointed over Raph's shoulder. "LOOK! A distraction!"

To his credit Raph didn't look, but the tactic surprised him enough to loosen his grip. In a flash Kit had pulled her jacket free and was off running.

With a growl Raph was after her, "So Mike was tellin' the truth! He didn't do it! I'm gonna beat ya double fer that!"

Leo paused in his pouring to look up and determine whether the panicky squeaks of "HALP!" were anything to be concerned about. After determining that it wasn't anything overly dangerous he shrugged and returned to his task.

Close eyes.

Pour.

Stop.

Inspect.

The water line fitted perfectly against the pale tea stain in the cup. Leo frowned. "Come on, this is impossible!" He muttered before trying again.

* * *

News Flash, Raphie's still mad!

Go figure.

Reviews please!


	19. Deviation of Behavior

I do not own the TMNT

Kit is mine.

* * *

Chapter nineteen; Uncharactoristic Behavior

* * *

Kit groaned and reached to open the cupboard for a cup. Her hand didn't quite make it. She frowned and reached a little higher.

Burning pain in her arm, shoulder, back and…aw heck, she just hurt too much right now to lift her arm high enough. With a grunt Kit pushed herself up onto the counter and kneeled on the tile surface as she pulled open the door and reached for a tea cup. On a whim she sniffed at the cup, recognizing Leo's strong personal scent and smiling slightly. She held the cup up to the light and was surprised to find that the tea stains she had lightly commented on earlier that morning were now gone.

After considering for a moment Kit pulled out a second cup. This one too was a pure, milky white on the inside. Kit held it up to her nose and sniffed again. Again the strong scent of Leo, but she couldn't detect any residual cleaning solution. She would have bet money that it had taken straight bleach to get these cups so clean, but that would have left a distinctive scent.

Frowning slightly, Kit replaced the cups and pulled out two more. These were also surprisingly clean inside, they also smelled strongly of Leo and they also held no detectable scent of cleaning solution. She replaced these cups and pulled out one more with the intention of using it after determining that this one too had been rendered spotless without the aid of any detectable cleaning method.

"What did you do to him!?" Kit jumped slightly, falling off the counter and landing hard on her rear. She clutched the tea cup close to her chest to protect it from harm.

Donatello now stood in the doorway of the kitchen with his goggles pushed up on his forehead and his hands pressed against his sides in an accusing posture.

"What did I do to who?" Kit asked as she slowly pushed herself off the floor.

"Don't play dumb Kit, what did you do to Leo?" Donnie repeated.

"That again? Like I told Raph, I don't know why he did that with the cups. I didn't do anything to him." Kit brushed off the cup in her hand and set it on the counter. She then realized that in order to get the tea she was going to have to get back on the counter; perfect.

Donnie scoffed. "Right, do you really expect me to believe that you don't know why Leo keeps messing with his bed? I'm supposed to be the brainy one, remember?"

Kit paused in her effort to climb back up onto the counter. "Bed?" She asked.

"Yes, his bed. What did you do to him?" Donnie moved his arms so that they were crossed over his plastron, but unlike Leo he tapped the fingers of his free hand impatiently against his arm.

Kit returned to the floor and walked over to where she could see Leo in the dojo. He was practicing a kata, just as always. Sure he looked a little more tense than usual, but nothing out of the ordinary. "Don, do you need to build a CAT scan for yourself? Or maybe an eye exam? Leo's not doing anything to his bed, strange or otherwise."

"Give him a minute." Donnie cautioned. He sounded like he was beginning to believe that Kit didn't know what Leo had been doing.

Leo continued the movements of the kata. Even though there was an unusual tenseness to his muscles he still moved with a grace and fluidity that only Master Splinter could outdo. His swords sang in perfect unison and his movements were dead on, looking more like a computer generated image than real life. Once he finished the kata he sheathed his katana and returned to the room he shared with Donatello. Kit hurried over to the doorway and looked inside.

The team leader paced inside his room for a moment before he grabbed the blankets, sheets and pillows strewn across the floor. Within moments his bunk was made with crisp folds, neat corners and his fluffed pillow centered at the head of the bed. For a breath Leo seemed to relax before he shook his head and tore the bed linens off the mattress again. He tossed them across the floor before returning to the dojo and pacing for several minutes before he drew his katana and began running through another kata.

Donatello walked over to where Kit was staring at Leo, puzzling over his behavior. "He's been doing that for almost three hours... since I first noticed." Donnie explained.

Kit continued to stare. "I didn't do anything." She insisted.

"You had to! Why else would he be acting like this?" Donnie insisted.

"At what point did you get the idea that I'm some kind of conniving mastermind?" Kit grouched.

She felt the turtle's accusing glare on her. "When my stash in the bathroom turned up missing."

Kit glanced over her shoulder, "I think I hear…uh…my shell cell, yeah, it's in my room." She grinned at Donnie, "Might be important, gotta go."

Donnie watched her zip back to the relative safety her bedroom before shaking his head and returning his focus to Leo. If Kit wanted to believe he was still angry with her over the coffee…and the energy drinks…and the caffeine shots…and the, well, all the rest- she could. But Donnie had plans. Oh yes, beautiful plans…

* * *

I think my characters are getting away from me. I'm not really sure what Donnie or Leo are up too.

Please review!


	20. Temptation

I do not own TMNT

* * *

Chapter 20; Temptation

* * *

"WHAT DID YOU DO!?"

Kit jumped, spilling hot tea all down her front. She leapt to her feet and dashed to the kitchen to grab a dishtowel to wipe her front with before the hot liquid soaked through her fur. "Mike I _don't know_ why Leo's acting strangely, he just is okay?" After dabbing at her clothes a couple times Kit gave it up as a lost cause, it only helped the tea to soak though faster.

Mikey blinked. "Leo? I'm not talking about him. When I said 'what did you do' I meant where have you been for the last few days.

Slowly Kit turned to face Mikey, the entire front of her gi jacket was tan and her pants were slowly adopting the color as the tea dripped down her pants. Her expression darkened considerably as the heat from the tea made itself known. "You snuck up behind me after I'd been through two Raph beatings and shouted at the top of your lungs to ask a simple question?" she growled.

For a moment Mikey considered the answer, his eyes screwed up in thought before he nodded and smiled. "Yep." Kit splashed the last of her tea on him. "EEEK! It's HOT!" He clamped his hands over his face.

"Yeah. I had noticed that." Kit agreed. She tossed the towel in the sink and placed the teacup on the counter before leaving the kitchen.

No sooner had she left the kitchen than Kit stopped in her tracks and stared.

Leo was in the middle of the main room sweeping. He used the broom to sweep in long, graceful strokes that slowly melted into short, accurate sweeps. After using the small sweeps for a little while he patted the broom on the floor and scattered the small pile of dirt and dust before returning to the long strokes had had begun with.

Kit watched this pattern repeat itself before she shrugged and headed for her room to get some clean clothes. "It's an improvement on stripping his bed." She muttered.

About halfway to her room Kit stopped in mid-step with one foot in the air, her nose twitching slightly. "Hello…" She swiveled on her foot and looked around the lair, nose still twitching. "What is that?" Something about the scent made her look for Mikey, but he was still in the kitchen whining about mean tempered cats. Leo was busy scattering his dust pile and Kit could see Donnie working in the lab with his goggles on.

After a moment the scent dissipated and Kit shook herself, shrugging it off as she hurried to her room to change, and then a shower was in order…

* * *

Donnie smiled quietly as he covertly watched Kit look around the lair. He labeled a plugged test tube "Essence of MD+C" before slipping it into his bag of tricks. From her reaction this could be more fun than anticipated.

* * *

Please review!


	21. Coming Down

Okay, I'll be wrapping this up soon; partially because I'm drawing closer to the end of the plot, mostly because I'm running out of addiction related chapter titles. : P Short chapter here but I wanted to post _something_.

I do not own...to be honest I hardly own anything.

* * *

Chapter 21; Coming down

* * *

Leo smiled with forced satisfaction.

The lair was a mess. Comics were left unattended in one corner, Raph had abandoned an empty container of polish in another corner and the cushions on the old sofa were skewed from use.

_See…I can handle a little mess. I'm not Mr. Perfect. It's good when the lair is like this, gives the place a warm, lived-in feeling._

He continued to survey the lair with a satisfied nod. At the same time he was practically bruising his arm from squeezing it so tightly. _It's a __good__ thing when the lair is like this. It's a __good__ thing. It's a… -okay so it wouldn't be perfectionistic to pick up the trash, it would be sanitary._ Quickly Leo moved over to the cleaning supplies and picked up the worn-out rag and the empty container of polish. After wrapping the container in the rag Leo easily tossed the items into the waste basket several yards away. It wasn't long until he had talked himself into straightening up Mikey's abandoned comics and replaced the cushions on the couch as well.

_There, that's okay too. That's just about perfect._ Leo blinked, then frowned. _I am __not__ perfect!_ He quickly grabbed two of the cushions and sent one spinning at the waste basket and the other across the lair without aiming.

_Okay…see? Not perfect._ Again Leo nodded in satisfaction before he glanced in the direction the second cushion had gone in.

It had landed half on and half off the small bridge over the pond. Leo's eyes widened when he saw it start to fall off but before he could rush to grab it a missile struck him from the side and shoved him to the floor. "Geeze Leo, what's gotten inta you?" Raph demanded.

"Nothing is wrong with me Raph." Leo answered crisply. "You're the one who hit _me_ remember?"

"Ya, but I ain't the one makin' ya mess and clean everythin' up!" Raph retorted.

As Leo fired off another evasive response Kit hurried past them to the kitchen. Mikey looked up from the stove where he was preparing dinner as Kit went to the fridge and started digging around. After moving through the entire fridge she closed it and moved to climb on top of the counter and look through the cabinets.

Mikey was mildly curious when he noticed she wasn't lifting her arms but he was more curious about what she was looking for. "Can I help you?" He asked.

Kit opened one of the cabinets and started looking through it. "Are you trying a new recipe or something?" She asked.

The burgers on the stove hissed slightly and Mikey sprinkled some pepper on the patties. "Same old burgers. Can't you tell by just sniffing?" He frowned; normally Kit's nose could easily identify what he was cooking. She often threatened to reveal to the world his 'secret recipes' in exchange for an early taste.

"I keep smelling something, it's kind of making me thirsty…" Kit moved to another cabinet, pushing aside Mikey's bags of junk food as she continued her search.

"We-ell-ll…" Mikey said thoughtfully, "There's water from the sink, juice in the fridge, tea, Gatorade and soda of course but you can't have any of that." He shook the spatula at her and tried to look authoritative despite his stained 'Kiss the cook…you know you want to' apron

Kit rolled her eyes as she scooted along the counter and opened another cupboard. "Trust me, after what happened last time I drank a soda I'll _never_ make that mistake again." She chose a glass and climbed off the counter.

"You never did tell me exactly what happened." Mikey pried slightly.

After filling her glass with water Kit turned and smirked at him. "You know that scene from Viral Invasion IIV? The one after the red-head in the silver jumpsuit died?"

The turtle chef's eyes widened and he nodded slightly. It had been a masterpiece of gore and special effects. "Yeah." He prompted, leaning forward.

Kit glanced towards the door before stepping closer to him and whispering, "Your burgers are about to burn."

Mikey's face immediately crumpled. "Aw Ki-it…What!!" His eyes widened as he realized what she had said and he spun around to flip the burgers before they started to smoke. By the time he had turned around again Kit had left the kitchen.

She sniffed at the air and tried to follow the scent but couldn't quite catch a trail. Maybe if she asked Master Splinter…


	22. Tempting Fate

I do not own the TMNT

* * *

Chapter twenty-two; Tempting fate

* * *

Raphael was determined that Leonardo would loosen up, even if he had to pound Leonardo to ensure it.

Leonardo was determined to show that there was nothing wrong, even as his eyes wandered to the pond.

Michelangelo was determined to be there when somebody cracked.

Dinner had been tense; Raphael glaring at Leonardo, Leonardo glaring at the pond, Michelangelo staring at his brothers, Kitrian glaring at her glass and Donatello smiling the way he did when he was up to something.

Master Splinter just hoped that he could get through the end of this week without being made completely aware of what was going on.

He understood the various reasons the turtles had for being angry with Kitrian. Michelangelo had stopped grieving for his games but the skin of Raphael's head and arms were still several shades too dark. However, Master Splinter found himself unable to explain the couch cushion sinking into the pond several yards away from the actual couch, or why the entire lair was filled with a slightly heady, sugary scent. The smell was familiar, but Master Splinter couldn't quite place it, much to the frustration of Kitrian.

Over all life in the lair was as mysterious as it ever was.

This was why Master Splinter enjoyed his stories; less drama.

* * *

After dinner Master Splinter disappeared once again into his room. Mikey dashed off to the monitoring area for some TV time while Donnie returned to his lab. Kit wandered off with her nose in the air.

Leo took the dishes into the kitchen to wash them and had nearly finished filling the sink with water before he realized that Raph had followed him. The larger turtle leaned casually against the counter and grabbed an apple while he watched the team leader scrub ketchup off the dinner plates. He would scrub the plate until nothing could be seen on the surface and then run his hand over the dish to make sure he couldn't _feel_ anything. It his hand hit some unseen remnant he would scrub the dish into complete, squeaky-clean submission before dipping it back into the dish water and putting it aside to be rinsed off.

Raph watched the process until he bit into the apple again and found himself with nothing more than seeds and core. After glancing down at the dead fruit bearing the battle scars of having been eaten a smirk found its way onto Raph's face. He drew back the hand holding the apple core and took aim.

"Don't even think about it." Leo warned, despite the fact that his shell was turned to Raph.

For a few moments Raphael paused, considering his options before with a shrug he tossed the core…into the dishwater.

* * *

Michelangelo sighed and turned the television(s) off. It was impossible to hear the show when those two were arguing, even with the sweet sound system the turtles had rigged. Instead of watching his shows Mikey decided to see if there was anyone around to bug –er, uh, _visit._

Raph was out of the question, if he wasn't working the punching bag lately he was in his garage, trying to make up for his lack of joyriding time by either tinkering with his bike or getting a message out to Casey to pick some gas up. Strangely though, nobody had heard hide not hair of Casey since…for a while now.

Donnie was in his lab working with something that looked like one of those plug-in air freshener things, he would have been a great target for pestering –er- _helping_ if it weren't for that creepy snickering he gave off when Mikey had walked past the lab.

That left Master Splinter and Kit, and since nobody messed with the master. "Here kitty, kitty, kitty!"

"If you don't add 'Klunk' to that call I'll gut you here and now." The muffled threat was issued from the armory and Mikey gladly turned inside. At first he didn't see Kit, but a moment's searching revealed her tail sticking out from the storage cabinet. Mikey skipped over and stood directly behind the mutant cat, watching her slowly shift through leather scraps on the bottom of the cabinet.

"Whatcha' doin'?" Mikey asked, unconsciously falling into his most annoying of tones.

"Trying to find the source of that smell." Kit replied. She picked up a piece of leather and examined it for a moment before putting it on a small pile of leather beside her.

Mikey frowned for a moment before sticking his own beak in the air and sniffing much the way he'd seen Master Splinter do. His stomach growled but he couldn't smell anything. "Okay, you do that but I'm getting the munchies something fierce."

Kit sat up and looked over her shoulder at him in confusion, "You've been eating constantly lately, even more than you usually do, what's the deal?"

The turtle just shrugged, "Dunno, I'm just a growing turtle I guess."

"Keep eating that way you'll start making Hun look small." Kit warned as the turtle hurried off to the kitchen. Once he was gone Kit frowned and turned back to the leather cabinet. She replaced the scraps she had collected on the shelf with the leather that was still large enough to be used. Good leather was hard to come by in the sewers and even if it weren't it bugged Kit how easily Raph tossed good leather into the scrap pile.

After brushing leather dust off of her pants Kit stood and closed the cabinet. She headed for the kitchen to see what Mikey was scrounging up but stopped halfway there and after giving herself a harsh shake she turned and headed purposefully towards her room.

In his lab Donnie grinned, the grin that tended to send Mikey scrambling for his room and calling for help. He picked up the now empty tube of MD+C and set it in the test tube rack before pulling out the chemicals he needed for another batch, this was just too much fun.

* * *

What's Donnie up to?

I'll give you a hint; Mikey's unusual hunger pains are a clue.

Please review!


	23. Flashback

Sorry I haven't updated in nearly forever. ^^; The plot bunnies have shed their shells and while I assure you I am alive, well and productive the stories I've been writing lately have not had a whole lot of turtle to them. However; my New Year's resolution is to buckle down and get "Addictions", "Fathers and Daughters" and "Nightwatcher" all finished regardless of whether or not the plot bunnies are cooperating. I apologize if the quality is poor but kindly remember; I am running on no bunny power.

(I wonder; is there such a thing as plot carrots with which to lure plot bunnies?)

I don't own the turtles or the rat!

* * *

Chapter twenty-three; Flashback

* * *

Raph went into the kitchen for a glass of water but stopped when he saw Kit's butt sticking out of the fridge, tail twitching. "Uh…" Kit pulled out of the fridge holding several containers of leftovers. She laid these out on the counter and began opening each one and sniffing it. "What are you doing?" He asked.

"Tracking." Kit replied. She replaced the lid on one container and picked up the next.

"Tracking what?" Raph asked.

"A smell." Kit started to open the next container but thought better about it and moved to the trashcan.

"A bad smell?" The container was dropped into the trashcan.

"Nope, actually it's a really good one… And it definitely was not in here." Kit went back to the counter and started putting bowls back into the fridge.

Raph frowned and sniffed. Although his nose was more sensitive than his brothers the only thing he could catch was whatever Kit had just tossed in the trash. He shrugged and grabbed a glass from the cabinet while Kit hurried from the kitchen, eyes narrowed and nose lifted. She wandered around the lair, trying to follow the strongest trail.

As Kit passed the stone elevator the doors grated open and Leo stepped out, brushing his hands off and smiling slightly. Kit was so focused on the mystery smell that she almost missed the light scent of grease coming from Leo. She suddenly stopped and turned to stare at Leo. He looked clean enough; mask on straight, knee and elbow pads on right, skin clean, but he had definitely given off the scent of oil and there was something about his step that was a little too much like Mikey's.

Leo walked over to the monitoring area where Mikey was currently scarfing a bag of chips. Kit fully expected Leo to start lecturing Mikey on dropping crumbs all over the couch, and by the look on Mikey's face as he sheepishly brushed a few off he expected the same. Instead Leo flopped down on the couch and reached for another bag of chips. When the first handful he grabbed dropped several crumbs on its journey to Leo's mouth Mikey's jaw dropped.

Kit wondered at this strange occurrence, especially in light of Leo's recent behavior. Finally she gave up and turned to continue her tracking. She stopped in her tracks when one of the turtles in the monitoring area opened a can of soda.

There was a hiss as the inside of the can released a fine mist of soda droplets and carbon dioxide, then the familiar sound of metal peeling from metal. That sound, combined with the familiar scent already in the air was enough for Kit to realize what the smell was, and who was responsible.

"Donatello." Kit growled as she headed for the lab.

* * *

Okay folks; last chance! Essence of MD+C causes Mikey to have cravings and drives Kit to distraction. Kindly refer to the title and tell me if you can figure out what the smell is!

If you don't have a clue, drop me a line anyway!


	24. Confrontation

Hat's off to Alangrieal for figuring out at least half of the mysterious MD+C!!!

I do not own the TMNT

Please note; Donnie is a little out of character here; but he's also still on caffeine withdrawal.

* * *

Chapter twenty-four; Confrontation

* * *

"Hamato Donatello!"

Donnie looked up from some charts he'd just drawn up. "Wow, and I thought it was overkill when Leo just used 'Donatello'." He returned his focus to the charts.

Kit wasn't amused. She stalked over to where Donnie sat and snatched the papers from the desk. "What did you do, why did you do it and how long is it going to take before it wears off?" she demanded rapidly.

Frowning at the now crumpled sheets in Kit's hand Donnie held up a hand and counted off. "One; I do a lot of stuff. Two; because dealing with Mikey on video game withdrawal is enough to snap anyone's sanity, let alone dealing with him without coffee. Three; I intend to make it last as long as it takes to get some satisfaction."

"Fine." Kit growled. "I'll specify; why does the lair smell like the inside of a bottle of Mountain Dew? The only way to do that would be chemically and the only one around here who plays with chemicals is _you_."

"I know." Donnie grinned. "I figured would be best to let the punishment fit the crime. You did once tell me you were a Mountain Dew addict."

Kit stared at him for a moment. The fur around her eyes didn't hide the angry twitch very well. "I did, and then you got mad at me for joking about your caffeine habit."

Donatello shrugged, "And since then I have had time to research and analyze until I realized you weren't kidding."

"And the cocoa?" Kit growled, referring to the lighter scent of chocolate underlying the soda smell.

"A guess… most girls seems to have a thing for it so I figured you might have." Donnie grinned. "Can I have my coffee back now?"

"Famous last words."

Donnie barely had time to blink and ask, "What?" before he was tackled off of his computer chair.

* * *

The other occupants of the lair looked up curiously at the sound of a large crash emanating from Donnie's lab. It wasn't an overly unusual occurrence –especially when Mikey was involved- but they still liked to make sure their favorite part-time evil genius hadn't gone and blown himself up yet.

It came as a surprise to everyone when Donatello and Kitrian came rolling out of the lab. Seeing the bulky turtle fighting the smaller cat mutant seemed a little uneven, but Kit seemed to be holding her own pretty well, however, several double takes were needed to figure out that Raph was not involved in the fight and a few more to realize that Donnie was.

"Dude." Mikey muttered from the monitoring area.

"My thoughts exactly." Leo agreed.

"_I'll kill you where you stand!_" Both turtles turned to see Raphael storming out of the elevator. "You did this!" He snarled, pointing at Leo.

"Did what?" Mikey asked. He never received an answer but instead screamed and leapt aside as Raph tackled Leo. As the two brothers fought far too close to Mikey for comfort Donnie and Kit continued to battle it out just outside the lab.

Looking from the apparent battle to the death between the cat and the turtle to the strange sight of Leo trying not to laugh while Raph attempted to extract revenge Mikey found himself amused at the sight. "Two fight at once… and I'm not part of either of them… cool!"

* * *

Review please? I'm getting close to finishing this up.


	25. Addicts Anonymous Meeting

I do not own the TMNT

* * *

Addicts Anonymous Meeting

* * *

Ice, band-aids, a partially defrosted steak and a towel were distributed to Master Splinter's five students. Raph, Donnie and Kit each accepted ice for the worst of their bruises, but a shortage of ice left Leo holding a steak to his eye. Raph and Leo's spat had knocked Mikey into the pool, explaining why he was now vigorously rubbing his mask and nunchucks dry with a towel…

…but didn't completely explain why he was still dripping on the couch.

Master Splinter moved his gaze from Raph sitting unharmed on the floor with a sour look over to Leo on one side of the couch rubbing off a trail of grease trickling down his cheek Next to Leo, Donnie scratched at a Hello Kitty bandaid on his shoulder and held an icepack to his jaw. Mikey sat next to Donnie and was just noticing the puddle he was sitting in while Kit sat on the arm of the couch next to Mikey, carefully pressing an icepack of her own to the back of her head.

"Does anyone have anything to say for themselves?" Master Splinter demanded.

Kit sat up slightly. "I'd like to apologize." She said. Master Splinter indicated that she had everyone's full attention, pleased to see one of his students showing a hint or responsibility after the disaster he had walked in on.

Turning to Donnie, Kit explained a heartfelt. "I didn't mean to scratch you; that was a mistake and I'm sorry."

Donnie nodded, accepting the apology for the four small scratches now highlighted by three conspicuous strips of tan and one bright pink and white cartoon character band-aid.

Master Splinter rubbed at the pressure growing between his eyes. They had only just made sure nothing was broken and the only apology offered was for a few scratches. This lecture would most certainly prove to be _fun_.

Speaking slowly, Master Splinter asked more specifically. "Can anyone tell me what was done wrong?"

"Blue boy here took my bike apart." Raph growled. "_Completely_ apart."

"The geek spiked the _air_." Kit gumbled.

Donnie frowned, used to the nickname but hurt that Kit had chosen to use it. "_Somebody_ went overboard hinting that I needed to cut back on caffeine." He retorted.

"You were binging in the middle of the night!" Kit argued.

"Nuts, bolts an' parts were everywhere!"

"You destroyed _my_ coffee maker with _my_ bo staff!" Donnie retorted.

"And then you started cuddling the pieces!"

"I didn't even know Fearless knew how to take a bike apart." Raph grouched. Leo shot him a glare and looked like he wanted to say something but kept his mouth shut.

"I should have moved out of the way when Raph tackled Leo." Mikey nodded sagely. He seemed completely oblivious of the fact that his comment was ignored. By now Donnie was on his feet and Kit was gesturing with her icepack. Raph continued to grumble from the floor and Leo was clamping his mouth shut and keeping his good eye on their teacher.

"You completely raided all of my stashes! Even the one in the reservoir!"

"The fact that you were hiding energy shots in the_ toilet_ should alone prove my point!"

"It'll take me days to get all that put back right."

"And then you go and hire Casey to distract April!"

"A necessary precaution! … wait, you knew about that?"

"Enough!" The young mutants hushed and looked nervously to Master Splinter, awaiting judgment. Master Splinter again looked his students over. "The behavior I have seen in here these last few weeks has been inexcusable." Four turtles shot one mutant cat a team effort of dirty looks. "Even before Kitrian began her crusade." Four turtles cringed while the mutant cat tried not to look smug.

The old rat took a breath. "Ninja must strive to gain many skills. However, Obsession is dedication out of control. Whether this dedication be to maintain control-" Leo cringed slightly under his sensei's gaze, "-a vehicle-" Raph coughed slightly and avoided eye contact, "-a hobby-" Mikey cringed more than Leo did and grinned sheepishly, "-or the desire to maintain artificial alertness-" Donny seemed to miss this as he examined the minute details of his nails, "-for a ninja to allow anything to consume them is to invite defeat. Obsession is dedication out of control." All four turtles cringed.

"Yes Master." Leo said complacently.

Master Splinter nodded. "I am giving Kitrian my blessing to continue her 'mission'.

"What?!"

"You can't be serious!"

"That's not fair!"

Master Splinter held up a hand until silence returned. "Kitrian may continue until either she or I decide that you, my sons, are… clean." Had Kit been any more self righteous she would have been preening. "However," All of the mutants listened carefully, "In order to ensure that this mission does not run out of control; each of you will be responsible for helping Kitrian in a differing aspect of her training."

For a moment Kit, Mikey, Donnie, Raph and Leo all looked blank, unable to comprehend exactly what this 'punishment' implied. Kit loved the martial arts and often requested extra sessions or help, yet something about Master Splinter's tone indicated this was a punishment. "Each day Kitrian will have one extra session of training with each of her senpai." Donnie sat up, comprehension dawning, his brothers as well as Kit were still confused as to how this might be a bad thing for her. "This will mean four extra sessions each day." Mikey grinned slightly, also beginning to see the light. "Each instructor's sessions will be terminated only after they have been declared… clean." Leo crossed his arms and sat back with satisfaction and the pleased grunt that Raph gave sent a chill down Kit's spine.

Not only was Master Splinter putting the turtles through extra training to help distract them from their different habits, but he was giving them each allotted times to make Kit do whatever they wished until she let them off the hook. Revenge was a dish best served with the master's approval.


	26. Four Step Program

I Don't own 'em…. Except Kit, she's mine.

* * *

Four Step Program

* * *

_"Run faster! Run faster!" Raph barked, "Only ninety-six laps to go!" He announced before dissolving into loud, deep-chested laughter._

_"Keep that pack up!" Mikey ordered as Kit ran past him. "The stuff in there will be used for… um…" He frowned, not remembering what it would be used for. Finally he gave up and settled for repeating Raph's "Run faster!"_

_As Kit splashed through the sewer water her breath came in short painful gasps and the straps of her pack dug into her shoulders. She jogged around a bend and nearly ran into Donnie wearing a lab coat and holding his bo staff. "Don't forget, we start weapons practice this afternoon. I know how you've been looking forward to that." He gave his staff a spin._

_The wood kicked up sludge from the sewer, spewing dirty water and mud at Kit. She cringed and held an arm up to try and protect her eyes from the nasty shower. Don's bo moved faster and faster until the water hitting Kit stung. He stepped closer and Kit was able to hear the wood cutting through the air. The wood took on a higher pitch, sounding higher and higher until it was like a giant buzz-saw cutting through the water._

_Kit tried to back up only to be stopped by Raph. "Why ain't ya runnin'? Ya barely started!"_

_Mikey stopped her from trying a different route. "Craftsmanship! It'll be like craft time at camp… only ninja-ed!"_

_Donatello was still coming closer and closer with his buzz staff. Raph and Mikey each grabbed an arm to keep her from running. "Consida' this part of yer endurance trainin'." Raph quipped._

_The wooded blade came closer and closer. Kit closed her eyes tightly and braced herself as best she could before the staff_ nudged her shoulder.

"GAH!" Kit jerked awake with such force that the chair she was standing on toppled over, taking her with it. "ow…" She sat up a little to coddle her head and squint at Leo. "Um… Sun Tsu?" She guessed.

The blue banded turtle leaned on a practice staff and smiled serenely and with a touch of amusement. "I didn't ask a question, but that's a good answer. It's almost a shame you get up as early as I do. Waking you up is kind of fun."

Kit frowned. "Why do you have a staff?"

Leo touched his mask self-consciously where it failed to cover a bruise that Kit had started and Raph had made worse. "I learned my lesson last time I tried to wake you." He explained.

"Right." Kit noted. "Sorry about that."

"No problem." Leo stepped forward and helped Kit to her feet.

"I don't get it." Kit told him. "I didn't do anything to you, why are you still forcing me to take your lessons?"

One hand was held up with the thumb held in. With the turtles this could mean anything from 'hey there!' to 'stop or die' "Two reasons." Leo counted off, "One, Japanese history is valuable whether you're being punished or not." Although Kit didn't believe this she nodded. "Two, I figure this way you get an hour or more of rest between Raph's strength training and Donnie's weapons training."

Groaning, Kit allowed herself to fall back onto the floor. "That's right, I start weapons training today… whoo hoo." She pinned her ears and closed her eyes, trying to ward off her next round of punishment. Weapons was perhaps the one part of ninjitsu she least wanted to learn from. This lack of interest had kept her out of training with anything more than shuriken for over two years but time was officially up.

Literally.

"_KIT_!" Donatello called from the dojo.

Kit's eyes shot open. "Leo, if you never do me another favor, grant me this." She begged.

"What?" Leo asked.

"Kill me now!"


	27. Relapse

I don't own 'em…. Except Kit, she's mine.

This is the end! I had one more thing that needed taking care of and I took care of it! (enter evil laugh here) Now I have to try and direct my energies into "Some Dreams" and "Nightwatcher".

* * *

Relapse

* * *

Raph walked into the kitchen with a satisfied expression and grease smeared over his hands and face.

He had been off 'probation' for almost a week now and to be honest; while he enjoyed being allowed to work on and ride his bike again he kind of enjoyed the feeling of not needing to work on the bike. Mikey had gotten his games back the day before and after promising to binge for a solid week he'd played for an hour and wandered off to do something else. It eventually came out that Leo wasn't in trouble, he was refusing to give up the extra training session and Kit really wasn't complaining now that she'd convinced him there was more he could help her with than history. Over all the last month had been rather productive for everyone except Donnie.

A nasty incident involving contraband coffee, three days without sleep, and a medical experiment nobody would help him with had convinced even April that Donatello needed serious help. She'd agreed, honestly this time, not to sneak anymore caffeinated substances to Donnie.

So, since Kit wasn't about to let Donnie off the hook yet, Raph was more than a little surprised to find Kit in the kitchen during the time that was usually reserved for Don's revenge. Instead of being in the dojo trying to hide behind a practice staff, Kit was leaning against a counter drinking tea and looking more calm than she'd looked in almost two months.

"I thought ya had trainin' with Don?" Raph asked.

"Nope. We came to an arrangement." Kit smiled slightly and sipped her tea.

Raph crossed his arms and waited. After several moments he prompted, "And that arrangement was?"

Another sip of tea and Kit calmly told him, "I agreed to let Donnie have a small amount of coffee if he would go easier on me during weapons training."

"Ya mean you couldn't take it anymore." Raph scoffed. "And I thought we'd made some progress on yer endurance."

Kit glared at him. "I don't see you running to spar with Don when he's angry." She snapped. Raph shut his mouth, unable to argue that point. "Besides, that wasn't the whole deal." Smirking, Kit took another sip. "I agreed to that compromise on the condition that he help me with something that's been bothering me lately."

Raph watched her for a minute. "So are ya going to tell me what condition that is?" He asked.

Smiling, Kit finished her tea and rinsed out the cup before leaving it in the sink. While leaving the kitchen she turned to Raph and said. "I think you'll figure it out soon enough."

As she left Raph watched her, trying to figure out what she was up too. All he saw was Kit greeting Master Splinter as they passed each other. Master Splinter continued to the monitoring area while Kit headed for the main door.

Master Splinter sat at his usual place in front of the televisions and picked up the remote. The televisions flickered on and soon the familiar strains of one of his stories starting was heard backed by the sound of the hydraulics lifting the main door. Just as Kit walked through the door the televisions suddenly went dead. The last Raph saw of Kit was her breaking out into a full out run before the door closed completely.

* * *

Alas, poor Kit. I knew her well.


End file.
